Redesigning Museums for Good

REDESIGNING MUSEUMS
FOR GOOD
 
KIGALI, AMSTERDAM
OCTOBER 2014

Virtually every visitor to a genocide memorial or holocaust
museum can attest to overwhelming feelings of sympathy,
sadness and outrage, but most visitors can also attest
that they did nothing substantively differently as a result.
!
HOW CAN WE
RETHINK THE
EXPERIENCE OF
MEMORIALS TO
ACTIVATE VISITORS
FOR A BETTER
HUMANITY?
UX FOR GOOD ANNUAL CHALLENGE 2014
UX for GOOD | Redesigning Museums for Good

KIGALI 
GENOCIDE 
MEMORIAL
RWANDA
01BACKGROUND
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MASS 
GRAVESIMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

HISTORICAL 
GALLERYIMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

PHOTOS
& REMAINSIMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

OTHER 
GENOCIDESIMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

CHILDREN 
ROOM
!
!
IMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

CALL FOR 
ACTIONIMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

END!IMMERSION & CONTEXTUAL OBSERVATION

HISTORICAL GALLERY
MASS GRAVES
PORTRAITS AND REMAINS ROOM
CHILDREN ROOM
“It takes a while  
to process the anger,
guilt, and
helplessness.”
!
The museum generates
an emotional burnout
that leaves visitors
unable to react.

“You can’t talk
about the rebirth
without talking
about genocide.”
!
IN DEPTH-INTERVIEWS INTERCEPT INTERVIEWS & CONTEXTUAL IMMERSION
ON-GOING SYNTHESIS
SHADOWING
There’s an opportunity
to tell the holistic story
from genocide to
rebirth.

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INZOVU* CURVE
The word “Inzovu” means
Elephant in Kinyarwanda,  
the native language of
Rwanda.
* The Inzovu Curve is a
model that maps speciﬁc
designed activities to the
emotional response of
the individual
experiencing them.

A genocide memorial is meant
to trigger a profound personal
reaction. This is a moment of
suffering and creates a strong
emotional connection to what
happened.
INZOVU CURVE CONCEPTUAL MODEL
This moment should happen
multiple times during the
experience itself.
It’s meant as a way to
decompress for sensible
people, and a space to
think for everyone.
While genocides are terrible
events, there are always heroes
that shine through.
These people are often highly
relatable because are normal
people that do positive acts. It’s
hope for the humanity.
While it’s difﬁcult to generate
action in each and every person,
this moment is made possible by
the ones before.
In a sense, the pain prepares the
seeds that then reﬂection is able
to turn to something positive,
while hope gives examples to
follow and show how others
acted positively.
EXPERIENCE STAGES

EMOTIONAL OUTCOME
Each individual has a completely
personal baseline that is a neutral
starting state.
The vertical axis maps below the line
the intensity of empathic response,
down to the potential burnout or
shutdown; and above the line the
intensity of compassionate
disposition.

motivation and  
ability to act
personal connection to the
experience of genocide
CONVERSION POINTS

INZOVU CURVE KIGALI GENOCIDE MEMORIAL
MUSEUM EXPERIENCE WORKSHOP EXPERIENCE

Extend the experience
outside the memorial
by creating dedicated
paths and deep dives. 
Raise awareness by
making visitors
selecting their journey
at the beginning.

Augment the content
and stories displayed in
the physical space by
giving access to the
memorial’s archive,
creating different
narratives and
connections based on
what visitors are
interested into.

Give visibility to the
moments of hope by
creating a space in the
museum to display
stories of reconciliation.
Support reﬂection by
creating breaks in the
physical ﬂow of the visit.

Bridge the gap
between will and
action by reminding to
the experience later on
(i.e. a letter to be
opened on the way back
home).

INZOVU CURVE BEHAVIOUR SCALE
Aware: a person is aware of
the facts and can apply critical
thinking, but it’s purely
knowledge and rationality.
!
Empathic: a person who is
able to use its emotional
intelligence to connect to
other people.
Advocates: people that have
been able to transform their
empathic response to action.
!
Catalysts: advocates able to
guide other people through the
behaviour scale.

INZOVU CURVE BEHAVIOUR SCALE
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UX FOR GOOD REDESIGNING MUSEUMS FOR GOOD
INZOVU 
CURVE 
WORKSHOP
AMS
02EVENT

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NEW YORK 
 
AMSTERDAM
CHICAGO

ANNE FRANK HOUSE OBSERVATION
AFH
MUSEUM  
VISIT

REFLECTIONS
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ANNE FRANK HOUSE OBSERVATIONANNE FRANK HOUSE OBSERVATION
9AM
10AM
The immersion
started with a long
line!
!
Average time to enter the
Anne Frank House is 1 hour.
Online tickets were already
sold for the upcoming month.

DIARY
QUEUE
SECRET ANNEX
REFLECTIONS
“You can easily
walk out and be
ready for the next
thing to see.”
!
For many visitors the Anne
Frank House is simply one
thing to check among
Amsterdam’s attractions.
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- - -
ANNE FRANK HOUSE OBSERVATION
FINAL MESSAGE

ANNE FRANK HOUSE EXPERIENCE ASSESSMENT
AFH
EXPERIENCE 
ASSESSMENT

THE EXPERIENCE NOW
QUEUE = INTEREST
THE HELPERS’ STORY
QUOTES FROM CELEBRITIES INSPIRED BY ANNE
THE IMPACT OF THE DIARY ALL OVER THE WORLD
!
COMMERCIALISATION OF THE TRAGEDY (SHOP)
WHAT DOES THE FOUNDATION DO?
!
THE LAST POSTCARD 
THE CLOSED WINDOWS 
THE ORIGINAL WALLS IN ANNE’S ROOM
PERSONAL ACCOUNTS FROM FRIENDS
SURVIVORS’ TESTIMONIALS
IMAGING THE EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE ANNEX
OTTO’S MAP OF ALLIES’ PROGRESS
“IT MUST HAVE BEEN A BETRAYAL”
OTTO DIDN’T KNOW THE ANNE FROM HER DIARY
REALISING ALL THE HELP WAS USELESS
!
REFLECTION IS MIXED WITH PAIN
INSPIRED BY THE HELPERS: COULD I DO THE SAME?
THE BOOK WITH THE NAMES OF DEPORTED JEWS  
LACK OF ANGER, LACK OF CONTEXT
FEAR FROM REFLECTION WALLS: IT CAN HAPPEN AGAIN
NO QUESTIONS LEFT FOR THE VISITORS
CULT OF PERSONALITY

The poor narration  
of the “life before”  
the secret annex
prevent visitors from
building enough
understanding and
empathy.
KEY INSIGHTS

The experience itself
lacks of emotional
depth: it doesn’t
generate enough pain
neither enough hope  
to feel motivated/
activated.
KEY INSIGHTS

KEY INSIGHTS
The helpers are  
a great opportunity  
to shift the perspective
from victims (not-
empowering) to
positive heroes
(empowering).

Expand the experience before
by setting the context
Leverage opportunities
for pain and reﬂection
Strengthen connections with the
existing world to raise motivation
Leverage the role of the
helpers to create hope
HOW THE EXPERIENCE COULD BE…..

“- - -”
!

AFH
IDEATION

ANNE FRANK HOUSE DESIGN RECOMMENDATIONS
START ENGAGING VISITORS 
FROM THE LINE OUTSIDE
CONNECT HER STORY WITH
THE CITY (ANNE’S SIGNAGE)
MAKE THE EXPERIENCE MORE PERSONAL
(PIN AGAINST PREJUDICE)
BETTER DESCRIBE ANNE’S LIFE 
BEFORE THE ANNEX

EMPHASISE THE KEY PHYSICAL 
PASSAGES (i.e. ANNEX’S ENTRANCE)
EMPHASISE THE KEY OBJECTS (POSTCARD,
DIARY,..) BY LOCATING THEM WITH MEANING
AUGMENT THE EMPTY SPACE IN THE ANNEX  
BY CREATING REFERENCES TO ANNE’S EVERYDAY LIFE
PLAY WITH SILENCE/NOISE TO STRESS THE 
IDEA OF HIDING AND CONTRAST WITH OUTSIDE

EMPHASISE THE KEY PHYSICAL 
PASSAGES (i.e. SHIFT BETWEEN ANNEX AND CAMP)
INSERT ANNE’S STORY IN A BROADER CONTEXT
(HISTORICALLY AND GEOGRAPHICALLY)
EMPHASISE POSSIBLE HINTS TO GENERATE  
MORE INTIMATE SELF-REFLECTION

MAKE THE GLOBAL INTEREST 
AND PARTICIPATION EXPLICIT
FROM ANNE’S HELPERS TO EVERYDAY
HEROES: TELL THEIR STORIES
CELEBRATE NEW HELPERS BY SUBMITTING THEIR STORIES AND
MAKING THEM PART OF THE MUSEUM

MAKE THE EXPERIENCE MORE PERSONAL
(BADGES/GIFT CARD AGAINST PREJUDICE)
WHO IS HIDING TODAY? GIVE VISIBILITY TO CONTEMPORARY STORIES
OF HIDING AS OPPORTUNITIES TO BECOME HELPERS.
GIVE VISIBILITY TO ONGOING HUMANITARIAN
INITIATIVES PEOPLE CAN CONTRIBUTE TO
CREATE EXPLICIT CONNECTIONS WITH EXISTING  
FIGHTS FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN AMS TODAY
HOMO-MONUMENT

INZOVU CURVE MODEL EVALUATION
INZOVU CURVE
EVALUATION

INZOVU CURVE
RELEVANCE
INZOVU CURVE MODEL EVALUATION
FLEXIBILITY INSPIRATION ACTIONABILITY
“Yes! Maybe pain and
reflection moments can
belong to a circle line”
“I think it’s a good
starting point for
discussion. It works for
memorial museums,
but it’s more limiting
for other types.”
“It clearly shows the
gaps of missed
opportunities to
improve UX.”
“A great starting point
for ideation.”

ANNE FRANK HOUSE END OF DAY!

REBECA
BRAZIL
LAURA
ITALY
HANS
US
SHANNON
US
ROBERTA
ITALY
ANDREA
ITALY
ASIA
US
HIENADZ
BELARUS
AMSTERDAM 2014

Redesigning Museums for Good

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